Emotions and Personality (77-80)

For many years humans believed what about animal’s ability to express emotions?

They were viewed as autonomous machines devoid of the ability to feel or express emotions

Animals’ reactions have historically been believed to be what?

Simplistic responses to outside stimuli

Historically emotions were believed to be inherently what?

Human

In the present what is widely accepted about emotions in non-humans?

That animals are capable of both expressing emotions AND having personalities

Research has found that animals can have what's considered a __________

Personality

What two groups of animals are noted for not having signs of expressing emotions?

Fish and reptiles

What suggests that expressing emotions evolved later in the animal kingdom?

Fish and reptiles don't express emotions and they are older groups of animals.

The field of animal personality and emotions is currently _________ and researchers are furthering our understanding of the importance of emotions and how they relate to _________

Developing; behavior

What are emotions in terms of animal research?

Subjective states experienced by an individual in response to internal or external stimuli

Researchers studying emotions in animals have ___________ viewpoints

Conflicting

What is an affective state?

Longer-lasting emotions that are not caused by a single stimulus but rather based on prior experiences

Affective states are studied by first looking at what?

Research in humans

Why can we apply human psychology and neuroscience to animal emotions?

Because all animals have a shared ancestor so we can use both fields to make inferences about the affective state of animals

What do both animals and humans experience when stressed or experiencing a strong emotion?

An increased heart rate and biological measures like adrenaline

What two human fields are applied to animal emotions?

Psychology and neuroscience

How do animals and humans differ in terms of their behavioral responses?

They have different ones based on physical anatomy and instincts

How are humans and mice similar and different in terms of their fear response to loud, high pitched objects?

Both have a fear response to such sound but humans are unlikely to react to the sound of a hawk whereas a mouse would be innately fearful

What is arousal in terms of animal’s emotions and affective states?

How intense an emotion is

What emotions are considered to be high in arousal?

Happiness, (excited delighted, elated) fear, and anger (tense, frustrated)

What animal are considered to be low in arousal?

Sadness(depression, bored, tired) and relaxation (content,calm)

What tis valence?

How pleasant an emotion is

What emotions are considred high in balance?

Happiness (excited, delighted, elated) and relaxation (calm, content)

What emotions are considered low in valence?

Anger(tense and frustrated), and sadness (depressed, bored, tired)

Happiness is ______ in arousal and _______ in valence

High,high

Sadness is _______ in arousal and _______ in valence

Low, low

Although we cant definitely name emotional states of animals we can measure what?

Valence and arousal to fit within the 4 categories on the the valence-arousal chart

How can valence and arousal be measured in animals?

Examining behavior and biological markers

High arousal emotions activate what" nervous systeM?

The autonomic nervous system

Low arousal emotions activate what nervous system?

Sympathetic nervous system

Some Researchers argue that emotions aren’t important unless what?

They lead to changes in behavior w

Do all reearchers believe emotions in animals are intrinsically important?

No some believe they need to lead to changes in behavior

What do scientists use cognitive bias tests for?

To study how attention,memory and judgement of an animal an be changed by their affective state

Cognitive bias tests examine how a ________ can alter the affective state of an animal and lead to changes in what?

Stimulus; Behavior

At their core cognitive bias tests look at how _______ seeking or _______-adverse an animal is based on its ________

Novel;novel;experiences

What is novel vs novel adverse?

Optimistic vs pessimistic

Cognitive bias tests are often used with what animals?Why?

Zoo and farm animals; to asses psychological welfare

Humans and animals are more likely to seek out new things under what affective states?

Positive ones

How can cognitive bias tests be used to study personalities of dogs?

1. Train dogs to associate large/small food reward with a specific sound → present with ambiguous cue and have behavior measured
   2. faster the dog checks the bowl the more they anticipate the large, preferred reward.
   3. To test experience effect on bias, give control treatment or have an unpredictable experience (Like outside in rainy weather) to see how they interpret the ambiguous cue

Explain cognitive bias test generally

Animal trained to associate a reward w a cue where one cue signals a large reward and the other a small reward. After training an ambiguous cue between the two cues is presented and then the animal behavior is measured

Explain cognitive bias testing in dolphins

Dolphins trained to swim to one end of enclosure and return for big fish, and swim to other end and return for small fish. Dolphins are faster going to big fish than small fish. When asked to return to a point between the two the speed indicates whether the dolphin expects large or small fish

Cognitive bias testing can be manipulated to do what?

Exaine how conditions affect animals

What is an example of cognitive bias tests being manipulated to examine how certain conditions affect animals?

Performing them after negative experience like a vet exam or after relocaaiton

What is personality also called?

Behavioral syndrome

Pesonality is defined as what?

A consistent predictable behavioral reaction an individual has toa stimuli

Some of the earliest research on animal personality examined the difference between what two groups of animasl?

Bold and shy animals

What is boldness in animal behavior?

Tendency of an animal to take risks even w potential for dange

Relative to bold animals shy animals are less likely to?

Engage in risky activities

Shy animal are more likely to act how in new ituations?

Cautiously

How are bold vs shy personalities similar to hawk dove game?

Both have advantages and disadvantages

When is a population of only bold animals advantageous?

When only few predators

A population of all bold animals doesn't work when?

When there are lots of predators because there's a lower likelihood of the animal hiding bc they are bold so they are more likely to be eaten

Multiple diff personalities are needed in a population so that what?

There is a diverse behavioral response to ever-changing conditions in an environment

What did early animal personality researches hypothesize?

That differences in personality were a product of genetics and environmental experience and thus were a product of differences in the evolutionary process

Does everything in nature have a direct benefit to fitness? Why?

No, natural selection preserves traits as long as they don't have negative impact on fitness

There is SOME evidence that personality traits like __________ are heritable

Aggressiveness

The heritability of personality tryaits like aggressiveness has only been noted in how many animals?

Only some

What animal is noted for serving as evidence of the heritability of aggressiveness?

Rhesus macaques (A monkey)

What is the scientific name of rhesus macaques?

Maccaca mulatta

What is the scientific name of Zebrafish?

Danio rerio

What is the scientific name of Amazon mollies?

Poecilla formosa

What two species of fish are commonly studied to understasand evolutionary ebenfits of personality in animals?

Zebrafish and Amazon Mollies

The ________ genome has been well studied and research has shown that they are what differences within them?

Zebrafish; genetic differences between bold and shy personalities affecting the brain structure and ability to learn

Amazon mollies have offspring that share what?

The same genetic code as their mother

Why are Amazon mollies a good choice to study how environment affects pesanlity?

They have the same genetic code as their mother

What can be said about the effect of personality on offspring w the same genetic code in a controlled environment?

There are distinct and persistent personality types

What does the existence of persistent and distinct personality types in animals in a controlled environment with three same genetic code suggest?

That they are other factors yet to be found that influence personality of an individual

Personality in animals is still a __________ area of research

Growing

What do critics of animal personality say?

That there is too much reliance on applying human psychology to non human animal behavior; Or that personality in animals is simply an extension of behavioral plasticity and that naturally small variations exist in behavior due to ability to adapt

Modern animal personal researchers examine bahvior using many diffenrent _______ and examine _______ rather than what?

Tests; individuals; lumping together animals to create averages

Is personality black or white?

No it exists on a spectrum like most behavior

What does studying how individuals respond to a variety of behavioral tests allow scientists to do?

Understand the evolutionary significance of having a personality